1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to apparatus for retaining a loose yarn end on a rotating yarn package. More particularly, the present invention relates to a yarn end retainer for use in conjunction with a fully wound yarn package after doffing by an automatic doff winder.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Winding devices having an automatic yarn transfer system are known. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,856,222 to Wust, U.S. Pat. No. 3,920,193 to Gujer et al., U.S. Pat. No. 3,921,922 to Wust, U.S. Pat. No. 3,941,321 to Bosshard et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 4,019,690 to Gujer Peter et al. In essence, these devices include a drive roll and at least two rotatable bobbin chucks commonly seated on a rotatably supported bobbin arm. The bobbin chucks each receive a tube on which the yarn is wound when the tubes are alternately pivoted into driving contact with the drive roll. When the surface driven yarn package has increased to doff size, the yarn package is doffed, i.e., pivoted out of contact with the drive roll to a stationary position, the winding yarn end being severed and the other tube pivoted into driving contact with the drive roll. The doffed yarn package continues to rotate for a while due to inertia; the free trailing yarn end can become tangled with the drive roll, with the tail of and/or the new yarn package being wound, and/or other nearby equipment. Naturally ths snarl would undesirably interrupt winding.
The entanglement or snarling of trailing yarn ends between a drive roll and full yarn packages has heretofore been prevented by shields, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,165,274 to DePriest and U.S. Pat. No. 3,409,238 to Campbell et al.